Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2013 i ELLE DECOR

LUXURY IS A LOADED TERM as I discovered last year when we published our first issue devoted to the topic. For some, it is a word so overused as to seem virtually meaningless. Other readers considered it almost obscene to even raise the idea at a time of economic stagnation and high unemployment. But luxury isn't synonymous with money. God knows things that cost the most aren't necessarily better. And as someone who loves a bargain, I understand the pleasure that paying less can bring—provided you are paying less for the right thing. Good design is available at every price point, as important in an efficient and beautiful kitchen range as it is in the latest Mercedes. There is an old adage, quoted by virtually every famous designer: Buy the…

Folklore Fantasy This season, the humble and hand-stitched are stealing the stage from glitz and glamour, with folkloric patterns turning up in sophisticated settings. Embroidered tulips bloom across Robert Allen's Fenway Garden (robertallendesign.com), top left, and Travers has created a fresh take on a traditional French crocheted blanket (zimmer-rohde.com), bottom left. Even photographer Mario Testino went back to his roots, focusing on the textiles of his native Peru for his latest project, "Alta Moda," at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute in Manhattan. His regal portraits showcase the elegance and color of his country's indigenous dress (through March 29, 2014; spanishinstitute.org). THINK PINK SHOE DESIGNER PIERRE HARDY GIVES AN ART HISTORY LESSON THIS FALL WITH A COLLECTION INSPIRED BY DESIGN ICONS. THE SCALLOPED PUMP, ABOVE, NODS TO ETTORE SOTTSASS, THE ITALIAN…

Call it a feast for the eyes. "Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture, and Cuisine," a new exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, takes an expansive look at the many ways artists have represented this country's favorite pastime: eating. A number of the more than 75 works on display are food porn, pure and simple, such as Raphaelle Peale's sumptuous Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c, from 1822, left, or Wayne Thiebaud's rows of colorfully frosted cakes. Claes Oldenburg's soft sculpture of an enormous fried egg, as well as Roy Lichtenstein's comic-strip–style paintings of beefsteak and turkey, turn supermarket staples into Pop art icons, while antique silver serving dishes and painted platters point to our penchant for dressing up dinner. The most affecting pieces here cast an eye on our dining…

Herzog & de Meuron's Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Skeleton pavé diamond ring by Solange Azagury-Partridge; solange.co.uk. Kago* polyester-viscose by Clarence House; clarencehouse.com. Coral pendant light by David Trubridge; shophorne.com. V Triangle gown by Cushnie et Ochs from fall 2013; bergdorfgoodman.com. Trellis bowl by Alessi; alessi-shop.com. Rosalie* wool by Création Baumann; creationbaumann.com. Cuf L bracelet by Pierre Hardy; pierrehardy.com. Ribbon table by Nendo for Cappellini; cappellini.it. Ribbon* polyester by Harlequin; harlequin.uk.com. Chair One by Konstantin Grcic for Magis; yliving.com. Poula console by William Yeoward; williamyeoward.com. Aretè handle by Diffusione Nuovo Design; dndhandles.com. Pixie bag by Bally; bally.com. Eden* wall panel by Weitzner Limited; weitznerlimited.com. Cut Out corset by Fleet Ilya; fleetilya.com. *Available to the trade only. See Resources.…

WHAT'S NEW TO THE TRADE—FABRICS, FURNISHINGS, AND FABULOUS FINDS 1 Viennese firm Kalmar Werkstätten, founded in 1881, has launched a series of lighting based on pieces in its archives, but adapted for today. The Hase BL floor lamp stands 4'9" tall and is crafted from polished brass with a natural leather grip and a silk shade. 011-43-1-4090-8800; kalmarlighting.com. 2 Bengale, a new wallpaper from Pierre Frey, pays homage to the classic tiger's coat. Shown in Ocre, Bleu, and Violet, it also comes in Beige and Brun colorways. 212-421-0534; pierrefrey.com. 3 The graceful 760 chair from A. Rudin takes its inspiration from midcentury design. It is available in 15 standard finishes (#80 Mink Wood is shown) and measures 22" w. x 24" d. x 35" h. 310-659-2388; arudin.com. 4 Artist Brian…

With strict geometric forms and un adorned surfaces, Christopher Dresser's silver-plated teapots for James Dixon & Sons appear alarmingly modern, even by today's standards. Featuring bold basic shapes—a clean-lined rectangular box, a circular container, a square set on one of its points—they strip the teapot down to its essential components and turn it into functional sculpture. A casual observer coming across them in an antiques store might assume they were products of midcentury modernism, or perhaps the 1920s Bauhaus movement. But Dresser designed them in the late 1870s and early 1880s—the Victorian era, when ornament was considered an essential part of the decorative arts. "His metalwork was undecorated and relied on form, which was revolutionary," says dealer Michael Whiteway, of Haslam & Whiteway in London, who edited the book Shock…

In the living room of Caroline Cummings Rafferty's Manhattan apartment, a Pedro Friedeberg Hand chair and a pair of Carolina George slipper chairs surround a cocktail table found at a Paris flea market and vintage metal stools; a Russian neoclassical mirror hangs over the fireplace, and the photograph is by Michael Eastman. See Resources. ELLE DECOR: What should we know about your building? CAROLINE CUMMINGS RAFFERTY: It's a landmark building from 1931. We live on the 11th floor and have beautiful light. Our unit was made up of two apartments, a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom, that had been cobbled together, but not very well. Each apartment had a different ceiling height and different moldings. ED: So how much construction did you have to do? CCR: It was a complete replacement,…

Q: Lighting technology keeps advancing. What's the latest buzz? A: LED lighting systems that create "zones" and preset "scenes," such as cocktail or dinner hour. They can be operated by a switch or a keypad, or even wirelessly, using your smartphone or tablet. The most interesting of these systems can actually adjust the color of the light, becoming warmer as they dim, like an incandescent. Most high-efficacy bulbs, like fluorescents and CFLs, can't do this. Q: Is the incandescent lightbulb dead? A: Not yet. But manufacturers have been discontinuing many shapes, sizes, and wattages. I recommend stocking up on your favorites now and having a backup plan using new technology. Incandescent light has warmth that newer technologies still frequently lack. Q: What's the best approach for layering light in a…

ESSENTIAL SAN FRANCISCO See the lights. To celebrate the Bay Bridge's 75th anniversary, artist Leo Villareal has festooned its cables with 25,000 LED lights. From dusk until 2 a.m. nightly, the bridge becomes a dazzling light show, with never-repeating patterns dancing across its western span (thebaylights.org). Stroll along the bay. Take in views of the Golden Gate Bridge at Crissy Field, a public park hugging San Francisco Bay. It's currently home to eight sculptures by Mark di Suvero, on loan from SFMOMA while the museum is under renovation (parksconservancy.org). Stock your larder. Located on the Embarcadero, the Ferry Building is a spacious Beaux Arts hall where vendors peddle local olive oils, cheeses, chocolates, and fresh produce (ferrybuildingmarketplace.com). WHAT TO SEE California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr.; 415-379-8000; calacademy.org:…

THE CONSTRUCTION of this grand house in New Delhi required a colossal leap of faith. In 2002, when Nasreen Qureshi and her husband, Moin, acquired the five-acre plot on which it now stands, she immediately suggested they hire Jean-Louis Deniot to design the home. Today, the Paris-based decorator is a global interiors star. But back then he was just starting out and had never built a home from the ground up—not even in Europe. "What's his style?" Moin recalls asking his wife. "I don't know," Nasreen told him. She'd never actually seen any of Deniot's work; she'd simply sat next to him at a dinner party in New York and found him charming. "I just liked him," she says. "But my husband was very upset. He said, 'He's a French…

TREND ALERT PAGE 74: Gown, $2,195, from fall 2013, by Cushnie et Ochs from Bergdorf Goodman (800-558-1855; bergdorfgoodman.com). Ring, $15,263, by Solange Azagury-Partridge (011-44-20-7792-0197; solange.co.uk). Kago polyester-viscose, to the trade from Clarence House (800-803-2850; clarencehouse.com). Pendant light, $450, by David Trubridge from Horne (877-404-6763; shophorne.com). Rosalie wool blend, to the trade from Création Baumann (212-906-0106; creationbaumann.com). Chair, $679, by Konstantin Grcic for Magis from YLiving (800-236-9100; yliving.com). Trellis bowl, $175, by Alessi (212-941-7300; alessi-shop.com). Console, $7,990, by William Yeoward (011-44-20-7349-7828; williamyeoward.com). Corset, $670, by Fleet Ilya (207-923-4034; fleetilya.com). Wall panel, to the trade from Weitzner Limited (888-609-5551; weitznerlimited.com). Handle, $190, by DND (011-39-03-6589-9113; dndhandles.com). Bag, $1,795, by Bally (212-751-9082; bally.com). Ribbon polyester, by Harlequin, to the trade from Zoffany (212-319-7220; harlequin.uk.com). Bracelet, $690, by Pierre Hardy (646-449-0070; pierrehardy.com). Table, $581,…

INGRID ABRAMOVITCH "One of the things I love about my job is having the opportunity to talk to legends of design," says Ingrid Abramovitch, ELLE DECOR's senior editor/writer, left. "They always show a side you don't expect." Her feature on Alidad's London apartment (page 188) reveals a designer whose grand interiors belie a much different personality. "He's deliberate and neurotic and indecisive, which is something we can all relate to," she says. "And he knows how to poke fun at himself." Likewise, architect Peter Marino, the subject of this month's "Unconventional Wisdom" column (page 88): "Peter had more of a sense of humor than I expected. This is a guy who looks like a Hell's Angel! But he's very funny and passionate about what he does." Describing herself as "a…

SNAKE CHARMERS L'Objet glorifies the serpentine in its new Cabinet of Curiosités collection of desk accessories, made of Limoges porcelain and brass and detailed with gold. The pieces include a 15" x 6" rectangular tray, $195, a magnifying glass, $135, and a letter opener, $135. 855-562-5388; l-objet.com 1 / LIGHT EFFECTS Brooklyn designer Bec Brittain was inspired to create her Vise light fixture after watching the sunset from a Mexican beach. Measuring 23" h. x 29" dia., it costs $12,200 and is made of polished brass and handblown glass; the Miami colorway is shown. Other sizes, colors, and metal finishes are available. 347-889-1366; becbrittain.com 2 / HOLDING PATTERN The elegant Shikainami basket is handwoven by Kohchosai Kosuga, a 115-year-old company in Kyoto, Japan, that specializes in bamboo…

PETAL PUSHERS FOR THE INTERIOR OF GIRASOL, ABOVE, A NEW RESTAURANT IN THE STUDIO CITY NEIGHBORHOOD OF LOS ANGELES, ICELANDIC-BORN DESIGNER GULLA JONSDOTTIR LOOKED FOR INSPIRATION FROM THE VIBRANT SUNFLOWER, THE SOURCE OF THE EATERY'S SPANISH NAME. A LATTICE OF WHITE WOOD PETALS OUTLINED IN GOLDEN LIGHTS DANCES ACROSS THE CEILING, WHILE DARK, TWISTING LEAVES TRAVEL ALONG THE GRAY STONE WALLS. A MIX OF RUSTIC MATERIALS—THE WALNUT TABLETOPS ARE INLAID WITH METAL SUNFLOWERS, THE FLOORS ARE OF WHITEWASHED OAK, AND THE BAR IS CONCRETE—AND A PALETTE OF SOOTHING BLUE AND CHARCOAL CREATE THE IDEAL BACKGROUND FOR CHEF CJ JACOBSON'S MENU OF DISHES WITH CALIFORNIA FLAIR. A VETERAN OF NOMA IN COPENHAGEN, JACOBSON HIGHLIGHTS THE BEST OF THE REGION'S SEASONAL CROPS IN SUCH INVENTIVE RECIPES AS APRICOTS WITH BURRATA CHEESE AND…

"Aggressive is an adjective that, for me, really characterizes luxury," laments Achille Salvagni when discussing the upper tiers of the furniture market. "I want to recover a sense of balance." And the Rome-based architect is a man with ample experience in high-end decor, having designed super-yachts (and, subsequently, their owners' domestic interiors) before recently launching his own line of limited-edition furniture and lighting, available in New York through Maison Gerard. The collection is decidedly influenced by Salvagni's homeland, informed as much by the restrained chic of such 20th-century Italian maestros as Gio Ponti and Paolo Buffa as it is by the sumptuous tastes of the High Renaissance (one of Salvagni's heroes is the 15th-century printmaker Aldus Manutius, who hailed from the architect's family's hometown of Bassiano). Throughout his work is…

Cross Mad Max with one of the Village People and the result would look something like Peter Marino—the leather-clad, Mohawk-haired architect whose clients just might be the wealthiest on the planet. Though he dislikes the term luxury—"It's overused," he says—Marino creates retail spaces for some of the world's most unabashedly luxurious brands. Somehow, he juggles both Chanel and Dior as clients, a skillful trick that last year earned him one of France's highest honors when he was decorated as a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. An avid art collector and an artist himself, Marino says that "the triple play of art, architecture, and fashion is what most excites me. I have my finger in all three pies." CROSSCURRENTS • I'm the only architect who is not afraid…

1. Perfumer Kilian Hennessy and his wife, Melonie, a photographer, filled the dining room of their apartment in Paris's 16th arrondissement with a pair of Moroccan cabinets, antique Murano vases, Napoléon III candelabra, and a 19th-century painting by Jules Tornai; the table and chairs are by Modénature. 2. For Luigi Caiola and Sean McGill's Manhattan duplex, the firm of Fox-Nahem designed a white-lacquer dining table and surrounded it with gilded-iron armchairs by André Arbus; a 1930s Line Vautrin mirror hangs between vintage Italian glass sconces, the print is by Michal Rovner, and the floor tiles are antique Grey Barr limestone. 3. In the dining room of television producer Ellen Rakieten's Chicago apartment, a Venetian chandelier hangs above a brass dining table with faux-shagreen inlay custom made by Anne Coyle Interiors;…

DECORATIVE PAINTING FRESCO When architect David Mann needed waxed Venetian plaster walls for his design for a V.I.P. lounge at the Lanvin store in New York, he turned to Agnes Liptak of Fresco Decorative Painting. Ditto Kelly Wearstler, for her elaborately glazed and gilded interior for the restaurant BG at Bergdorf Goodman. Liptak, a graduate of Paris's Ecole des Beaux-Arts, is herself "as refined as her finishes," Mann says. "She does the most beautiful quality work." Liptak dispatches her team of 45 artisans across the globe—from Gstaad to Shanghai—to create such ethereal finishes as Japanese oxidized silver leaf arranged into mosaic patterns, plaster embedded with mother of pearl, and back-gilded glass. Other clients include top architects and decorators like Victoria Hagan and Robert Stilin, along with such public institutions as…

The ultimate French comfort food, coq au vin, gets a dash of international flair when paired with an unexpected side dish, spaetzle. My grandmother used to make a coq au vin in which she braised pieces of rooster or chicken with wine, shallots, mushrooms, and pancetta. Her version was delicious, but it wasn't until I was working alongside the great chef Georges Blanc that I truly understood just how sublime this French country classic could be. This was early in Blanc's career, before he transformed his family's inn, La Mère Blanc, located in the village of Vonnas in the foothills of Burgundy, into one of France's most beautiful restaurants. At the time I worked there, the local farmers' market and slaughterhouse were directly across the street. Very fresh! At 10…

WHEN ARCHITECT Timothy Haynes and his partner, designer Kevin Roberts, were asked to create a home in the Hamptons for a Wall Streeter and his young family, they understood that the job would loom large for them, not just while they were in the midst of it, but forever. The two designers are known for high-end residences throughout the world, but this project, a vast enclave set on the ocean, was, by definition, unique. "We knew that it was likely to be the last opportunity of its kind," Haynes recalls. "There simply aren't going to be any more new estates built on the beach in Southampton. There just isn't any more room." The designers understood that the property would be a focal point of the area's landscape—and the clients' family—for…

Half a century ago, Alejandra Redo used to wonder about the house hidden behind ivy-clad walls that she passed every day on her way to Catholic school. "I thought it was a secret garden," she recalls. Years later, when she met the man who would become her husband, he introduced her to his aunt Paz Cuesta Moreno, a socialite known for her beauty. In one of those serendipitous events that might have been just a little too tidy if it had occurred in a film, Redo's fiancé brought her to the very place she had mused over as a girl. In that house, Cuesta Moreno had entertained actors who were the luminaries of Mexico's golden age of cinema. "She loved to have people here in the house," says Redo. It…

Why not bring a sharp edge to your holiday table with one of these sleek and elegant carving sets? Laguiole by Claude Dozorme, $225; tableartonline.com. Sofia by Match, $310; tabulatua.com. Red Lucite by Coltellerie Berti, $580; shophorne.com. Natural Antler by Vagabond House, $138; vagabondhouse.com. Dedale Black by Alain Saint-Joanis, $404; gearys.com. cAlbi by Christofle, $270 each; christofle.com. Hammered Antique by Reed & Barton, $40; reedandbarton.com. Gold by Ivo, $158; anthropologie.com. Living by Sambonet, $75; sambonet-shop.com. Natural White Bone by Restoration Hardware, $49; restorationhardware.com. Elsa Peretti Padova fork, $290, and knife, $260, by Tiffany & Co.; tiffany.com. Jewel by TH Marthinsen, $470; 760-505-4199.…

MAIL Your September 2013 cover photo features one of the most ridiculous decorating ideas I have ever seen. I defy anyone to attempt pulling a paperback from the bottom of the stack without having books tumble all over the room. Thomas Olkowski, Roxborough, CO Editor's note: The "stack" of books on the cover is actually a vertical shelving system. Thin shelves hold five or six books each, making it relatively easy to remove a single book. I was delighted to see the new plastic furniture by Kartell in the Toolbox section of the September issue. It nostalgically reminded me of a favorite learning toy I played with in elementary school. The bright colors and interlocking shapes of Kartell's new pieces will certainly make them 21st-century classics.Barry W. Myers, curator of…

Since his death in 1974, alone in Pennsylvania Station, his body unidentified for several days, the stature of architect Louis Kahn has grown. His Yale Center for British Art, which opened later that year, was widely acclaimed as one of the most beautiful museums in the world. My Architect, the award-winning 2003 documentary by his son, exposed Kahn's complicated personal life, but also increased awareness of his grand public buildings in America and Bangladesh. And last year, his Four Freedoms Park, which he completed drawings for shortly before his death, finally opened after a four-decade delay. Kahn was never as eloquent as many of his peers, and his disheveled, shambling demeanor lost him more than one commission (Jacqueline Kennedy, after paying his Philadelphia office a visit, proceeded to select the…

Barry X Ball's intricate bust of a Medusa-like allegorical figure may look like it was carved by hand from Italian marble—instead, an 18th-century model was digitally scanned, and a computer-generated milling machine cut Ball's version from a piece of golden calcite stone. Marc Newson's Doudou necklace, made for Boucheron from 2,000 sapphires and diamonds, was inspired by geometric fractals and designed on a computer using rapid prototyping. And Wim Delvoye's Twisted Dump Truck, which looks like a mash-up of Chartres cathedral and H.R. Giger's monster from the Alien movies, was cut from stainless steel using a high-power laser. Gone are the days when a work of art was necessarily a display of the hand's skill. Increasingly, artists and designers are turning to new technologies to fashion frequently mind-bending objects. More…

The words practical and cozy are not the usual adjectives used to describe French châteaus, but interior designer Timothy Corrigan begs to differ. "People see rooms that are fancy and think, Look but don't touch," he says. "But even the grandest place can be really comfortable." Corrigan would know: This former advertising man has owned three historic castles, and in An Invitation to Château du Grand-Lucé, just out from Rizzoli, he details the renovation of his latest. The jet-setting decorator tends to a clientele that includes Madonna and an array of Middle Eastern royals. Meanwhile, there is hope for the rest of us: Corrigan's lines of fabric, furniture, and carpets for Schumacher and Patterson, Flynn & Martin, and china for Royal Limoges, debut next year. 1. Essential reference work.…

Clocks, hands, double helices, and other pictographic motifs float on monotone canvases, reasserting themselves from painting to painting like a recurring dream you can't quite decipher. Random household items—forks, a box of cream cheese, a coin, a ball of string—pop up mysteriously. Their simple outlines are scratched into the oily, waxy surface with a screwdriver, and then sometimes rubbed out, leaving spectral erasures. "I build these funny narratives," their creator, Philip Smith, says, then corrects himself. "They build themselves. I'm just the secretary." The deeply personal symbolism of Smith's art sets it apart from the detached approach of many of his contemporaries who appropriated images in a deadpan or ironic fashion. According to Jen Mergel, senior curator of contemporary art at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, Smith has shown "how…

It would be a mistake to think of the ottoman as nothing more than a lowly footstool. Produced in a wide array of shapes, sizes, and materials, it's the ultimate go-anywhere, do-anything piece. An ottoman can serve as a side table, a cushy cocktail table, or a playful extra seating element for parties. "It's the most usable, versatile piece of furniture," says textile designer Bernie de Le Cuona, adding that the ottoman, which gets its name from a deeply cushioned low seat found in Turkey, can work in any room of the house. "You could have one bedside, to place a lamp and a cup of coffee on," she says. "I even have ottomans in my bathroom." Designer Brian J. McCarthy sometimes uses ottomans as improvised pedestals. "I make these…

BOLD AS BRASS Blending burnished and polished brass with woods such as mahogany, walnut, and African blackwood, the Nanz company has expanded its Studio Line of door hardware with handles, pulls, and knobs that evoke the California "handmade house" movement of the 1960s and '70s. Each piece is custom made in a range of sizes and finishes and is priced between $300 and $1,200. 212-367-7000; nanz.com OUT OF THE BOX When her daughter left home, French designer Isabelle Mathez was inspired to create for her a veritable kitchen in a box. The Malle W. Trousseau set costs $5,800 and comprises 43 high-grade, internationally sourced items, from Japanese Shun knives to a Mauviel frying pan and stock pot to chopping boards made by an Alpine craftsman. 800-851-4509;…

More vibrant than ever, the city by the bay is experiencing a surge of energy from a new generation of entrepreneurs, innovative young chefs, and design mavericks.The sheer physical beauty of San Francisco remains constant, from the grandeur of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay to the steep hills veiled by the region's cool, distinctive fogs. But these days, the spirit of the city is in an exciting state of flux. Briefly chastened by the dot-com boom and bust of the last decade, San Francisco has regained its self-confidence, thanks to a newly recharged tech industry and the younger, hipper members of its workforce who are changing the city's borders, tastes, and self-definition. For this new generation of San Franciscans, Harvey Milk is a character almost as distant as…

Adele, Beyoncé, Bono, Cher, Madonna: In the realm of celebrity, a rarefied few are so widely recognized and acclaimed that a surname would feel super fluous. The decorating world, too, has its share of stars, but only one is known by a single moniker: Alidad, the Tehran-born, London-based interior designer who crafts opulent interiors for some of the world's wealthiest individuals, including several members of the Kuwaiti royal family. A home designed by Alidad is as sumptuous as it is singular—which is all the more impressive given the vast scale of many of his projects. "We do enormous jobs in Europe and the Middle East, including 40,000-square-foot villas built from scratch," says the designer, whose work is featured in the recently published book Alidad: The Timeless Home (Rizzoli). "Things are…

In the living room of a Paris apartment designed by Champeau & Wilde, the daybed by Armand-Albert Rateau is upholstered in a Lelievre velvet, the side table is by Donghia, and the 1930s cocktail table was found at the Drouot auction house; the sconces are by Gilles & Boissier, and the gilt-wood mirror and marble fireplace are original to the apartment. The circa-1950 Danish sofa is covered in mohair-cotton, the cocktail table is by Mattia Bonetti, and the chairs are circa 1970; the wall sculpture is by Katja Strunz, and the floor lamp is by Porta Romana. See Resources. Three years ago, a leader in the French art scene and his life partner, who works in the fragrance industry, decided it was time to move out of their Paris townhouse…